I always have a pound of ground beef on hand in my freezer. Which is why I keep this collection of healthy ground beef recipes close by. For healthy lunch and dinner ideas (and even some breakfasts, too) that use ground beef, I find that these 36 recipes are the ones I come back to the most.
Whether it’s my husband’s favorite meatloaf or my favorite meal prep meatballs, I have so many of these ground beef recipes nearly memorized since I make them for my family so often.
Korean-Inspired Ground Beef Bowls
I often make these Korean-inspired ground beef bowls for a weekly meal prep option for my family of five. With the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors, this recipe is super quick to make on weeknights and I can easily customize the serving size for everyone from toddlers to adults.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free
Easy Beef Taco Bowls
Never one to miss Taco Tuesday, Jess loves that this easy taco bowl recipe is a fun way to switch things up. It’s simple, nourishing, delicious, and easy for everyone to customize to satisfy their flavor preferences and dietary needs. Plus, it’s a great way to use up any leftover ingredients (like cheddar cheese or tomatoes) you have on hand.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Burger Bowl with Special Sauce
These infinitely customizable burger bowls mean you don’t even have to own a grill or form hamburger patties to enjoy everything you love about a classic burger meal! Jess recommends pairing them with sweet potato wedges for an ultimate healthy dinner.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Crockpot Hamburger Soup Recipe
Our community manager Molly makes this veggie-packed soup several times every fall and winter. It’s hearty, healthy, and loaded with savory flavor to satisfy her taste buds. Plus, it boasts lots of protein and fiber to keep her full. It’s also a great choice for make-ahead prep and makes for a tasty cook-once-eat-twice ground beef meal.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
Stacie put a twist on classic chili recipes with this crowd-pleasing chili that incorporates canned pumpkin for a touch of sweetness, fiber, and vitamin A. Not only does it hit the spot when she’s craving a big bowl of chili, but it’s also a great way to sneak more veggies into her day.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili
This is one of my favorite chili recipes of all time and I look forward to making it every fall. It’s thick, chunky, spicy, packed with fiber, and all the right chili flavorings like diced green chiles, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Nutritious ground beef combines with three types of beans, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, and two unique spices that bring out all the flavor (hint: ground cinnamon and cocoa powder for the win).
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
Lasagna lovers, meet soup lovers. Our social community manager, Ana, converged two comfort foods to create a warm and cozy soup that’s easy to make and has big lasagna flavors. I can’t get enough! This easy soup brings together Italian seasoning, soft lasagna noodles, and ground beef in a base of tomato-basil marinara topped with dollops of creamy ricotta and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup with Bacon
Jess thinks this is the perfect soup recipe to enjoy on a chilly day, and I have to agree. It has the rich flavor of a perfect cheeseburger with the comfort and creaminess of a perfect soup. And if you love this cheeseburger soup as much as we do, you’ll be glad to know it’s a perfect prep-and-freeze meal!
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Instant Pot Taco Soup
This taco soup is my favorite way to level up Taco Tuesday. Veggie-loaded, wholesome, hearty, and full-flavor, this Mexican-inspired soup is a quick, tasty, and healthy ground beef recipe with endless topping possibilities. Even better, it’s meal prep and freezer-friendly, making this a delicious reheat-and-eat meal that you can enjoy in the days and weeks to come. It makes my evenings so easy on busy days!
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
This comforting, cozy chili recipe is exactly what Jess craves when the weather starts to get chilly. High-quality protein and vitamin-loaded sweet potatoes make the base of this flavorful, easy chili, meaning it fits into many special diets. It’s incredible on its own, but I love to serve it with cornbread muffins to soak up every last drop!
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Healthy Tater Tot Casserole
Ana gave classic tater tot casserole an upgrade with simple, real foods plus the addition of lots of veggies. Combined and cooked in a large skillet in about an hour, this is one meal that her whole team agrees on for dinner.
Egg Free | Nut Free
Taco Casserole
This is Molly’s favorite meal to feed her whole family. Delicious and budget-friendly, this recipe combines one of her favorite handheld foods into one cozy hot dish. Featuring lean ground beef, plenty of veggies, tender rice, taco seasonings, and black beans, it’s secretly full of protein, fiber, and nutrients. But all her picky eaters taste are the warm spices, meat, and cheese!
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
5-Ingredient Baked Ziti
With just a handful of ingredients, you can enjoy a classic Italian meal that’s one of Stacie’s all-time favorite ground beef dinner recipes. Not only that, but this recipe is easy to prep ahead of time for a delicious, well-balanced meal. So she tends to make two at a time – one for dinner that night and another for the freezer that she’ll bake to sizzling perfection at a later date.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
This is Ana’s favorite way to enjoy the rich, savory flavor of classic Philly cheesesteak sandwiches in an easy-to-make (and eat), low-carb skillet. With just a little hands-on time, she can have this satisfying and cheesy comfort food ground beef casserole on the table in a total time of just 30 minutes.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut-Free
Zucchini Lasagna
Got some zucchini? Love lasagna? Great! This dish is a noodle-free, healthy ground beef recipe. Plus, it’s Stacie’s favorite way to infuse family-favorite lasagna with a veggie boost, upping the nutrition and making a pleasing weeknight meal that will be enjoyed by all.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Ground Beef Stroganoff
This easy beef stroganoff is Molly’s twist on one of her favorite comfort food childhood meals. Made with ground beef instead of tenderloin or ribeye plus beef broth and sour cream, it’s budget friendly and quick but still has all the umami flavor she remembers from classic versions. She loves to serve the bolognese-style mixture over cooked white or brown rice, but it’s also it over egg noodles and mashed potatoes.
Gluten Free Option | Nut Free
Beef Skillet Enchiladas
This beef skillet enchiladas recipe is one of Ana’s favorite meals to feed her four hungry boys. It has all the savory, cheesy flavor of classic enchiladas but takes half the time to make. Made with corn tortillas, she loves that they’re naturally gluten-free, low-carb, and only takes 15 minutes to prep. Her boys, on the other hand, are only concerned with the fact that it’s so flavorful and satisfying.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet
This is my new favorite way to use up end-of-summer zucchini. Combined in a single skillet and ready to eat in 30 minutes, this Mexican-inspired meal is quick to prepare but tastes like it took all day. My kids love to add their favorite toppings, and I love that they’re eating their veggies. You can also make it with other ground meats, such as ground chicken, pork, or turkey.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Easy Skillet Lasagna
For busy weeknights, I turn to this hearty one-skillet or one-pot skillet lasagna a few times a month. Instead of layering everything in a casserole dish, this recipe features jumbled-up ‘layers’ of lean ground beef, curly lasagna noodles, vegetables, and cheese. It’s a super easy ground beef skillet meal my entire family loves.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Ground Beef Stir Fry
This is Jess’s favorite way to satisfy her Chinese takeout cravings with a quick homemade and budget-friendly solution. Made with plenty of veggies and a sweet and savory stir-fry sauce, this homemade stir-fry is so good served over noodles or white rice. Or, sometimes she’ll pair it with cauliflower rice for a filling, low-carb meal.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Stovetop Sloppy Joes
Ana makes this stovetop, veggie-filled Sloppy Joe mix for her big family often. Made with lean ground beef, bell pepper, onion, and just the right spices, they’re a fun twist on a childhood favorite. Serve the meat mixture in buns, between cooked sweet potato slices, or as a salad for an option lower in carbohydrates.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Easy Baked Tacos
We love tacos around here, and you can never go wrong with classic ground beef baked tacos. I like to prepare a large batch of these sheet pan baked tacos and serve them alongside a topping bar for football game days. They’re a family favorite and couldn’t be easier to make.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Taco Stuffed Peppers
This is Ana’s take on traditional stuffed peppers, and the southwest-style filling makes for a yummy, gluten-free, and veg-filled meal that keeps her family coming back for more. It’s also a special recipe for us, as it’s the very first one we ever published (though it’s been updated a few times through the years).
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
When she has a bumper crop of zucchini from her garden, Molly makes this stuffed zucchini recipe nearly every week in the summer. It’s the perfect way to use up a favorite veggie and sneak more nutrients into her family meals. Plus, leftovers store and reheat well for easy meals or packed lunches on the go.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Grain Free | Nut Free
Sheet Pan Mini Meatloaf
Jess created this recipe out of the need to satisfy a meatloaf craving with very little time. Shaping the barbecue sauce-infused ground beef into mini meatloaves shortens the cooking time so she can get this dinner on the table faster. Think: Sunday dinner, only much simpler and with far fewer dishes to wash!
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
BBQ Meatloaf Muffins with Sweet Potato Topping
These adorable meatloaf muffins are almost too cute to eat! But once you taste one, you’ll scarf them down without remorse. The perfectly seasoned ground beef mixture bakes right in standard-size muffin cups before getting topped with creamy sweet potatoes and a drizzle of BBQ sauce.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Baked Italian Meatballs
Molly is a huge fan of Italian food, and these savory, cheesy meatballs are one of her favorite ways to enjoy bold, herbaceous flavors in a high-protein recipe that both her husband and kids look forward to eating. She pairs them with a salad and spaghetti, which makes her feel like we’re dining out for Italian food.
Gluten Free Option | Nut Free
Saucy Beef and Lentil Meatballs
Stacie loves to serve this super-easy meatball recipe as a party appetizer or a quick, one-pan weeknight meal. Perfect for a protein and fiber punch, these tender, savory meatballs combine with a dairy-free tomato sauce for a quick, comfort food meal that even her little ones can’t resist. Plus, leftovers store well, making this recipe perfect for meal prep.
Dairy Free | Gluten-Free | Nut Free
Teriyaki Meatballs
Jess managed to develop this recipe for super flavorful homemade teriyaki meatballs with fewer than ten ingredients. That even includes a delicious and cleaned-up homemade teriyaki sauce recipe with the iconic sweet-salty and gooey-delicious glaze that Asian-inspired teriyaki dishes are known for. Serve them as a party appetizer or as a meal on their own over rice, rice noodles, or greens.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Ultimate Meal Prep Meatballs
For nutritious, high-protein, easy dinners ready to go, our whole team turns to this simple and healthy ground beef recipe. It’s perfect for using up any veggies and herbs (like green onions and cilantro) we have on hand, plus it’s easy to double (or triple) and store extras in the freezer for easy high-protein meals. Just reheat and serve them in a variety of ways (seriously, the possibilities are so many).
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Stacie’s updated twist on traditional shepherd’s pie is hearty, healthy, comfort food at its finest. It’s one of her healthy ground beef recipes that can be made ahead and also simple enough for a busy weeknight. It’s complete with ground beef, sneaky veggies, dried herbs, and a touch of chili powder, topped with a smooth layer of creamy, mashed sweet potatoes. What’s not to love?
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Easy Grilled Pizza Burger
This is Molly’s favorite meal when she can’t decide between two all-American favorites: a pizza or a burger. This recipe does it all! Our kid-friendly grilled pizza burger will leave your memories of a boring old cheeseburger in the dust. And it takes just 20 minutes, start to finish.
Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Egg Roll In A Bowl
Traditionally, this dish is made with ground turkey or pork, but Stacie likes to make it with ground beef. This one-dish meal fits in almost any dietary plan and is a fresh, nutrient-dense meal good for any night of the week. She uses coconut aminos to lower the sodium but also provides instructions for how to use soy sauce or tamari, if that’s what you have on hand.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans
Here’s a Southwestern twist on traditional baked beans, plus it’s so easy to make in the slow cooker. This recipe is Ana’s go-to for a great barbecue side dish or an entire meal. She combines ground beef with red bell pepper, onion, garlic, three types of beans, and a reduced-sugar sauce for the ultimate hearty side dish.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free
Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Hash
This is Stacie’s favorite way to make good use of leftover taco meat in an easy, one-skillet recipe. A tasty and hearty breakfast or weeknight dinner option, this easy ground beef recipe is meal-prep friendly and she also loves it as a delicious reheat-and-eat meal throughout the week.
Dairy Free | Egg Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Whole30
Grain-Free Spaghetti Pie
Jess is all about making comfort foods a little more nutritious, and this Italian-inspired meal is one of her favorite ways to do just that. Combining strands of spaghetti squash, nutritious veggies, spices, and marinara sauce, she created this grain-free “pasta” dish that’s easy to make in an oven-safe skillet.
Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Grain Free | Whole30
Frequently Asked Questions
Lean ground beef is a healthy, low-cost, and high-quality protein food that we incorporate into our dietitian-created recipes and our personal meal plans often. Ground beef is an excellent source of iron to help prevent anemia, rich in zinc for immunity, high in protein, and offered in leaner cuts, which are great choices for balancing red meat consumption with leaner choices.
Raw, uncooked ground beef can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before cooking. The same goes for pre-cooked and crumbled ground beef that is cooled and then stored in the fridge – you can safely store it there for up to 3 days. If frozen (whether raw or pre-cooked), ground beef will keep at good quality in the freezer for up to 3 months. Here are our tips on how to choose quality beef.
Typically, “healthy” beef refers to leaner cuts with no more than 5-10% fat content. We also love to reap the benefits of grass-fed beef — it tends to be lower in sodium and fat but higher in a few key vitamins than grain-fed varieties.
Depending on your preferences, you may want to buy ground beef that’s certified organic or labeled hormone- and antibiotic-free. A local meat locker could be a good option to supply high-quality beef from your area. As another option, you could source high-quality beef from a delivery service, such as Butcher Box (read our full review).
I prefer to thaw ground beef overnight by placing it in the refrigerator 12-24 hours before using it in a recipe. This thawing method provides the most ideal results when it comes to flavor.
However, if you’re in more of a hurry or simply want to know your options, any of these methods will work:
Thaw overnight: Place the frozen ground beef package on a plate (to catch any thawing liquid) and place it in the refrigerator to thaw for 12 to 24 hours.
Defrost in 1 hour: Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the frozen package of ground beef. Refill the bowl with cold water every 20-30 minutes. The beef should be thawed in about 1 hour and cooked right away.
Thaw in 5 minutes: Remove the frozen ground beef from the packaging and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave it at 50% power for 2-3 minutes, rotating and flipping the ground beef every 30 seconds. You can then use the ground beef right away.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
